1917 (DECEMBER)—1918
YEARS

The majority of the Black Sea Fleet vessels were sunk off the coast of Novorossiysk on June 18—19, 1918. V. I. Lenin will provide clarification on this at the IV Conference of Trade Unions and Factory Committees of Moscow (see V. I. Lenin. Complete Collected Works, vol. 36, pp. 320—321, 463, 325—626; vol. 50, pp. 79—81; present collection, p. 90).

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH L. D. TROTSKY

[1918, June, not before the 15th]

In my opinion, we must prepare a statement for the press. The role of the Georgian government: they rejected the Brest Peace and are repeating the Ukraine situation.

Who is this Kvirkelia? I don't know. Perhaps the report is inaccurate? I'm afraid it's accurate.

1 The document was written on a telegram from V. M. Kvirkelia, Chairman of the Field Headquarters of the Southern Front, reporting on the landing of the first German detachment at Poti on June 8, 1918, on the arming of captured Germans by the Georgian-Muslim government, some of whom were landed in Sukhumi together with units of the Georgian government, threatening the Kuban Front and all Soviet forces in the Caucasus.

RESOLUTION
ON THE TELEGRAM
FROM THE POVENETS DISTRICT CONGRESS OF SOVIETS
[June 16, 1918]
Moscow, Council of People's Commissars

The Povenets regular district Congress of Soviets sends its greetings and wishes for success to those fighting for the poorest peasantry, the proletariat, and a better future for all humanity.—Chairman of the Congress Bogoslovsky.

To the Press Bureau.

LENIN COLLECTION

TELEGRAM TO I. V. STALIN

[June 17, 1918]

To Stalin

The orders sent to the fleet at Novorossiysk must be unconditionally executed. It is necessary to declare that sailors who fail to execute them will be declared outlaws. We must at all costs prevent this insane adventure. Why hasn't Shlyapnikov gone?² Why did Vakhrameyev leave without doing anything? Where is Rakolnikov?⁴ An influential comrade absolutely must go to deal with those who are resisting. The promise that Ioffe⁵ gave Kühlmann⁶ in our name must be unconditionally executed!

Lenin

Printed from the text written in the hand of G. V. Chicherin

1 The telegram was prompted by the continuing wavering of the Black Sea Fleet command in executing the government's order to sink the vessels at Novorossiysk (see present collection, p. 88).

2 Apparently V. I. Lenin did not yet know that A. G. Shlyapnikov had left for Yekaterinodар following a telegram of June 13, 1918 (see present collection, p. 88).

3 I. I. Vakhrameyev, member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat for Naval Affairs, in accordance with a resolution of the Supreme Military Council approved by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, left for Novorossiysk with instructions: "upon arrival, if an order to revoke it has not been received by that time, to proceed with the destruction of all vessels in this port" (CPA IML at the CC CPSU).

4 F. F. Rakolnikov—Deputy People's Commissar for Naval Affairs, member of the Revolutionary War Council of the Republic.

5 A. A. Ioffe—Soviet Envoy in Berlin, headed the Soviet delegation for peace and economic negotiations with Germany.

6 Richard Kühlmann—from August 1917 to July 1918, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Germany.

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH G. V. CHICHERIN
[June 27, 1918]

Ritzler¹ orally informed me of a telegram from the German government: they would not wish to introduce their troops onto Russian territory, but at the same time expect that Russia will fulfill its contractual obligations regarding Murmansk.

1917 (DECEMBER)—1918 YEARS

We have been delaying bringing out a note against England concerning Murmansk. Now we'll have to issue* a note.

Of course, AND IMMEDIATELY.

Will you be able to receive the Turkish envoy tomorrow afternoon?

I'm not well. Is it possible to be excused? If it's absolutely impossible, we can talk by telephone tomorrow at 12 o'clock or set it for 2 o'clock.

1 Kurt (Rüdorfer) Ritzler at this time was Acting German Diplomatic Representative.

2 On June 27, 1918, the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs addressed a protest to the British diplomatic representative in Moscow, Lockhart, against the landing of a detachment at Murmansk (see "Documents on the Foreign Policy of the USSR," vol. 1, 1957, pp. 376—377).

EXCHANGE OF NOTES WITH G. V. CHICHERIN

[June 29, 1918]

In Larin's² materials there are questions of paramount importance that absolutely and urgently require resolution. It is necessary to convene a small meeting tomorrow for their discussion. Is 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock possible? We will also need to determine the norms of the ambassador's competence. Ioffe arbitrarily signed a protocol on prisoners of war, in which he renounced matters to which the Germans here had already agreed.

Composed of whom?

Necessarily you, Vronsky³, Gukovsky, and perhaps Trotsky.

Very well. Let's set it for 5 o'clock.

Remind me. Call at 4 o'clock.

1 The correspondence took place at a session of the Council of People's Commissars on June 29, 1918, when G. V. Chicherin raised the question of a protest by the Soviet delegation in the mixed commission on prisoners of war against the protocol signed by A. A. Ioffe concerning its resignation, with a request to resume the commission's work in connection with a proposal by German Ambassador Mirbach on this matter.

2 Yu. Larin (M. A. Lurie) in 1918—head of the Committee on Economic Policy of the VSNKh.

3 M. G. Vronsky after the October Revolution—Deputy People's Commissar for Trade and Industry.

* Underlining belongs to V. I. Lenin.